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Topic: Double Rat Manor (Read 398 times)

Just out of curiosity (and because i might be able to get my hands on a second one for $40) - has anyone ever doubled up a Petco Rat Manor? Side by side, not one on top of the other. Making the footprint 32x22 or 16x44 (give or take: hopefully my math is right!)

I have two small girls right now but wouldn't say no to a third - or to having a trio in the future. I would like for them to have something bigger than the single RM (it's what was available and i don't mind the cage as a whole) but don't want to spend another $150+ for a slightly bigger Martin's and the Critter Nation isn't portable enough for me to clean in my tub!

The RM definitely has is cons (small doors being one of them), but overall it's a decent enough cage. I've had the RM (it was my first with my original pair), i've had Martin's, and i've had a Critter Nation. The CN was by far the best in terms of size for cost, layout, etc..... but it's too much cage atm and i like being able to pull the top part into my tub to hose off regularly.

I might look into clips instead of zip ties to attach the two cages, though, so i can pull both sides apart to pull each top half into the tub separately. Maybe binder clips on the pans would help keep them firmly together? Yes, it creates more work for me, but i don't mind it. And who knows, maybe these girls won't be like my last ones and won't track pee feet while they climb (so i won't HAVE to hose it down regularly). *wishful thinking*

The picture is perfect, exactly what i was looking for, so thank you. I knew i saw one around here somewhere (and more examples wouldn't be bad, either, if anyone has done it!) I might snatch the cage up then and hold onto it for when the girls are a little bigger.

My experience is that a single Rat Manor is too cramped, unless you have a pair of very small girls. If you can figure out how to get a side by side configuration to work, however, it should do pretty well.

My experience is that a single Rat Manor is too cramped, unless you have a pair of very small girls. If you can figure out how to get a side by side configuration to work, however, it should do pretty well.

Thankfully, my girls are still mouse size babies! I weigh them daily to make sure they're gaining/growing (and they are) but last night they weighed in at 40g and 45g. They have plenty of room in the BOTTOM half of the RM - i closed off the top half because i was worried that they're too small to be up there safely. *worriedratdaddy*

I'm grabbing the second RM today or tomorrow. I ordered some metal clips online that i might be able to use instead of zip ties so i can attach them together but still be able to pull the two apart for cleaning. If it doesn't work i'll zip tie it. No big. Next week i'm hoping to put it all together. Might as well give it a try, for the price, otherwise i'll start saving tip money for a bigger Martins or something......

Last time I bought a Martin's, it was an R-685 for just over $100. The 685 is a great cage. I loved it, and so did my rats. When I was home I hooked the top to the wall to give them a greater sense of spaciousness. They loved to peer over the top edge and sniff away. Be sure to spend the extra $10 for powder-coating, because galvanizing tends to absorb the smell of urine. The smell can be very hard to eliminate.

So, i managed to do it: a double rat manor! I like the layout so far but we'll see how easy it is to clean next week. That'll be the deciding factor for me - if it's a PITA to clean then i'll think of something else. Wouldn't be hard to put the two RMs back together and return one or both of them lol. I like the footprint of this, though - they have room to run AND climb and it's not taking up a whole lot of space in that room.

I had to zip tie the two cages together instead of clipping them, since the clips i bought wouldn't work. If i find different clips i might try again, but zip ties work for now. My question to those of you who have zip tied Martin's cages (instead of using the c-clips), have you ever had a rat chew through enough zip ties that they got out?! That's my only concern - the rest of the cage is woven together so even if they chew the ties they can't get out, but the seam where the two cages meet (back, top, front) aren't hooked together like that (i couldn't get the cage to cooperate to do that lol). If they chew the ties i bet they could get out. So far they haven't shown interest in the ties, but i did find a gnawed on piece of fleece liner so..... Any suggestions for a back up? Should i c-clip it, if possible? Are there any hooks/clips anyone can think of that would work?

I might do something different with the middle level. And i need more stuff to put in there for them to play with. It's a WIP but it's together.

I wanted all the fleece to match but i mis-judged how much i needed. So there are arrows on the bottom, tie die middle, and tiger print hammock. Oh well!

I've had a Martin's 695 zip-tied together for the last four years and none of my rats have ever chewed through. Even the ones who like to chew through hammocks and liners have never bothered the zip-ties.

I've had a Martin's 695 zip-tied together for the last four years and none of my rats have ever chewed through. Even the ones who like to chew through hammocks and liners have never bothered the zip-ties.

I love your double Rat Manor

Same here. Hammock zip ties rarely last more than a few days (which is why I eventually had to switch to shower-curtain rings), but cage zip ties are fine.